Graphical Display of Data

Graphs and charts are now a fundamental component of modern research and reporting. Today, researchers use many graphical means such as histograms, box plots, and scatterplots to better understand their data. Graphs are effective for displaying and summarizing large amounts of numerical data, and are useful for showing trends, patterns, and relationships between variables. Graphs and charts are also used to enhance reporting and communication. Graphical displays often provide vivid color and bring life to documents, while also simplifying complex narrative and data. This entry discusses the importance of graphs, describes common techniques for presenting data graphically, and provides information on creating effective graphical displays.